Postal History

V-Mail

Start of V-Mail Service

On June 15, 1942, the Post Office Department inaugurated its V-Mail service.  During World War II, letters bound for service personnel were photographed and transferred to microfilm.  This special process enabled letters to take up a fraction of their usual space on planes going to war zones, allowing more room for crucial supplies. 

Butterfly series

Butterfly Series

On May 17, 2010, the USPS issued the first stamp in the Butterfly Series.  The stamps were created for use on envelopes that couldn’t be sorted on the USPS’s automated equipment, otherwise known as “nonmachinable.”  They’re often used for greeting cards.